Bet Illinois Fighting Illini – Stuck In The Big Ten Mid-Tier

2009 Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Recap

Online betting enthusiasts were probably crossed up last season, as an Illinois team which made the Rose Bowl in the 2007 season and then crashed in 2008 did not rebound in 2009. Coach Ron Zook’s team had Juice Williams returning at quarterback and still owned an appreciable amount of skill-position talent, but Illinois just didn’t deliver the goods or demonstrate any ability to be competitive in the upper tier of the Big Ten Conference.

The 2009 campaign got off to a miserable start for Illinois, which entered St. Louis with a boatload of high hopes, only to get blasted by Missouri, 37-9. Downfield threat Arrelious Benn got injured in the game, but the 28-point thumping shouldn’t have spelled the death knell for the Illini’s entire season. Yet, it did. The Illini never really bounced back from that game… at least as far as their postseason hopes were concerned. Zook’s roster lost its first five conference games by double-digit margins, with the most embarrassing setback being a 27-14 loss to lowly Indiana. Illinois did rebound with a gut-check win over Michigan, but Michigan – of course – was not a force to be reckoned with in 2009. The Illini finished at 3-9 and did not respond well to the 5-7 train wreck of 2008. Williams showed precious little poise under center, and on the defensive side of the ball, UI lacked the depth and heft to withstand the Midwestern beef of Ohio State and Penn State.

2010 Preview To Bet Illinois Fighting Illini

NCAA football betting should be much easier in relationship to the Illini in 2010, which is to say, one should bet against them. Your sports betting playbook should be filled with moves against the Zookers, especially since Mr. Zook has inspired a complete lack of confidence throughout the Champaign-Urbana campus. Many people thought that Zook’s dismal performance in 2009 should have merited a pink slip, but the university brass thought he should stick around for at least one more season. The environment surrounding Illinois football will be full of pressure, and what that means is that this team will not be able to sneak up on everyone the way it did in 2007. That is enough to recommend a series of betting plays against the Illini, but let’s do a little more to confirm these inclinations.

Illinois’ first three Big Ten games in 2010 come against Ohio State, Penn State, and Michigan State. These are three power-oriented teams who should overwhelm Illinois in the trenches. What’s also worth looking at is the fact that the Ohio State game comes at home. You might think that’s a plus, but in a larger context, it’s a drawback. You want to get winnable games at home, and with Ohio State having Terrelle Pryor back under center, the Buckeyes – a national title favorite for the coming season – figure to be far better than the Illini can ever hope to be. Michigan State is a winnable game for Illinois, but that contest is on the road. The Zookers would have wanted those two games to be swapped in terms of location.

Illinois will have a very good chance to win home games against Indiana and Purdue, but those are the only two conference games which inspire any degree of confidence. The rest of the Big Ten slate should grind down the Illini, who will then have to travel cross-country and face Fresno State in early December. Very little about the 2010 schedule suggests that Illinois should be covering the spread on most Saturdays.